KATHERINE EWELL INTERVIEW AND DEAR KILLER GIVEAWAY

Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for your kind words and support here, on Twitter, and on Facebook. I'm so touched. It's all my friends and family that are helping me get through this difficult time. Anna Li and I are doing pretty good. We're alike in that we don't want to sit around moping. We're starting to find our routine without Rudy. For me, the house feels so different and quiet without him there. I know eventually it'll become the new normal. I'm back to work and am finding that keeping busy really helps get through something like this.

Rudy paid all the bills and handled our investments. He kept things in good order and I've been able to figure most of it out already. I feel a lot better knowing where all our savings are and seeing that I can handle all the finances.

Hopefully in the next week, I should be back to blogging. Thanks so much for your patience and support.

So I have some winners to announce.

The winner of BURN OUT is Joanne Fritz!

The winner of FAERY SWAP is Donea Lee!

And the winner of ELLE is Nicole!

Congrats! E-mail me your addresses so I can send you your books. Please e-mail me by the end of Wednesday or I'll have to pick another winner.

Today I’m excited to have debut author Katherine Ewell here to share about her YA thriller DEAR KILLER that released on April 1, 2014. This was a fascinating story about Kit, who has been a serial killer since she was nine. This is really different from anything I’ve ever read. I found it pretty fascinating to be inside Kit’s head because sometimes she is a cold and calculated killer and other times she’s a sympathetic teen. It’s a book that really leaves you thinking.

Rule One—Nothing is right, nothing is wrong.
Rule Two—Be careful.
Rule Three—Fight using your legs whenever possible, because they’re the strongest part of your body. Your arms are the weakest.
Rule Four—Hit to kill. The first blow should be the last, if at all possible.
Rule Five—The letters are the law.

Kit takes her role as London’s notorious “Perfect Killer” seriously. The letters and cash that come to her via a secret mailbox are not a game; choosing who to kill is not an impulse decision. Every letter she receives begins with “Dear Killer,” and every time Kit murders, she leaves a letter with the dead body. Her moral nihilism and thus her murders are a way of life—the only way of life she has ever known.

But when a letter appears in the mailbox that will have the power to topple Kit’s convictions as perfectly as she commits her murders, she must make a decision: follow the only rules she has ever known, or challenge Rule One, and go from there.

Katherine Ewell’s Dear Killer is a sinister psychological thriller that explores the thin line between good and evil, and the messiness of that inevitable moment when life contradicts everything you believe.

Hi Katherine. Thanks so much for joining me.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I’ve been writing since I was about thirteen—before that, I was a huge reader, so the progression from reader to writer only made sense. Once I started writing, I couldn’t really stop! It’s a bit of an addiction, really.

2. I think a lot of writers feel that way. I’m dying to know where you got the idea for your story because it is so different from other books.

It came from a little bit of a weird place… I was binge-watching Castle at the same time I was writing an essay about moral philosophy in Watchmen, so the two of them just sort of came together in this psychological thriller about murder. I don’t remember the exact moment of synthesis, but that’s definitely where it came from.

3. I used to watch Castle. Maybe I should start again though I don’t have much time for TV. Kit is one of the most complex characters I’ve met. Sometimes she’s so cold and distant and other times you can’t help sympathizing with her, especially because of her terrible family life. Share a bit about her character development. Was it hard being so in her head while you were writing this?

When I started writing Dear Killer, I didn’t really know where Kit was headed. I learned a lot about her as

I actually wrote, and I discovered her as she came to life word by word. Sometimes it really was hard being inside her head—her thoughts are so dark, as are her moods and actions (obviously), and it could sometimes be a lot to handle!

4. Yes, I’m not sure I could have hung out with her as long as it would take to write her story. You picked London as the setting of your story. Why? And what research did you have to do to get your setting right?

I had visited London twice before I started writing, and I knew as soon as the story came into my head that it was the place my story had to be set. It had a lot to do with the ambiance—the dull greyness of the city, paired with its historical beauty, seemed to me to echo the melancholy within Kit and the feeling I wanted to portray through my writing. I had to do a lot of Google map searching to figure out the distance between things—i.e. how long would it take this character to get here? Is this walk-able or not? I wanted everything to feel as real as possible.

5. That’s great how you made such a conscious decision on your setting. I know you wrote this while you were in high school. I’m amazed you had time for it with the heavy demands of high school. What was your writing process like and how long did it take to write and revise DEAR KILLER?

It took me about 2-3 months total to write the first draft, and about 3 months to revise it. I usually wrote at night after I’d finished all my schoolwork, usually with a nice cup of tea, wrapped in blankets. It was a great way to de-stress, usually, after a long day.

6. That’s pretty amazing. My daughter is up until 11:30 with homework. No way could she write after that. I’m impressed.Share about your road to publication.

My road to publication started in 2011, when I was a semifinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Competition in the YA category. I found my agent through that contest and a mutual friend. That particular book never got published, but luckily, I wrote Dear Killer afterwards, and that did get published!

7. Fantastic road to publication story. What are you doing to market your book and how are you juggling it with college?

I’m doing a bunch of interviews and appearances, which you can find news of on my writer pages! I’m juggling it with college through lack of sleep…but what can you do?

8. Hate to tell you but it doesn’t get better once you’re out of college and working. At least not for me. What are you working on now?

I don’t really like talking about what I’m writing, but I am writing! You’ll see…

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Katherine. You can find Katherine at:

Katherine and I are offering an e-book giveaway of DEAR KILLER. To enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through April 19th. I’ll announce the winner on April 21st. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, please leave it in the comments.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 or older to enter. International entries are welcome.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Next Monday I’m interviewing debut author Emma Pass and giving away a copy of her YA dystopian, ACID. I’ve been looking forward to this book since I heard about it almost two years ago. It released in the UK and Europe last year and was finally released here in March.

Next Wednesday I have a guest post conversation with debut author Skila Brown and her agent Tina Wexler about revising. There will be a giveaway of Skila’s MG book in verse CAMINAR inspired by the civil war in Guatemala. And Tina Wexler is offering a query critique too!

The following Monday I’m interviewing debut author Alexandra Duncan and giving away a copy of SALVAGE, a YA sci-fi story with fantastic world building and a contemporary feel.

Good morning, Natalie. I'm glad you're finding some comfort in your normal routine. Be good to yourself and take care.

Wow, a teen serial killer - what a scary premise. Congrats to Kit - I'm so impressed she wrote this in high school and had the courage to enter a major contest - way to put yourself out there. Please save the giveaway for someone else this time - I'm not reading e-books yet either.

Thanks, Natalie. I'm thrilled to win BURN OUT. But there's absolutely no rush with mailing the book. Do what you need to do first as you work your way toward a new normal. My thoughts are with you and Anna Li.

Katherine's book really does sound different. And I'm impressed as heck that she's only in college. Also, I've lived in London, so I really should read this. But let someone else win.

It's great to meet Katherine and best wishes to her and Dear Killer. I did a lot of writing in high school and still have the short stories in a box somewhere in the garage. I should look for them. Might be a short story or something bigger I could work on.

A serial killer from age 9?!?! That got me to sit up and take notice! Congrats on the book, Katherine! Natalie, I am glad you have Anna Li still at home with you so you can go through this difficult time supporting each other. Having other family to help is a blessing. Take care my lovely.

Natalie...yes on you two finding your way to the new normal. I am pretty sure your Rudy would be awfully proud of you.

And...oh my on where the idea for Dear Killer came from. That alone makes me want to read it! Congrats and seeing your book out in the world...got a copy for my Kindle and am looking forward to the read!

Natalie - Praying for you and sending healing thoughts your way.Katherine - Fascinating interview! You are truly amazing...writing and doing school work too! Best of luck to you!Please do not enter me in the contest....I do not read e-books either.